AutoUtility currently tracks 510 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Mazda CX-5. Exterior Lighting issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 161 complaints (31.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 31 filings cite a crash, 10 cite a fire, 13 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 510 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Exterior Lighting (161 reports • 31.6% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Brakes & Traction Control (73), Electrical System (71)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 31 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 10 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 13 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
510
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
31
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
10
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
13
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Mazda CX-5

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 31.6% of complaints

Exterior Lighting

161 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#2 Problem Area 14.3% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

73 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 6 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 2 injury report entries
#3 Problem Area 13.9% of complaints

Electrical System

71 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🔥 5 fire reports 🩹 3 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 10% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

51 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 5 crash reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 9.2% of complaints

Visibility, Wipers & Glass

47 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Mazda CX-5

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Suspension NHTSA ODI ID: #11754892
Filed: 08/05/2026

"Rear subframe corrosion on this vehicle. I am in a winter road salt region, the materials used for this vehicle's subframe are not compatible with consistent driving in this region. Similar vehicles (not mine?) were subject to a recall for the front subframe, but nothing for the rear. This rear..."

Incident Date: 02/02/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SUSPENSION
Suspension NHTSA ODI ID: #11754891
Filed: 08/05/2026

"Rear subframe corrosion on this vehicle. I am in a winter road salt region, the materials used for this vehicle's subframe are not compatible with consistent driving in this region. Similar vehicles (not mine?) were subject to a recall for the front subframe, but nothing for the rear. This rear..."

Incident Date: 02/02/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SUSPENSION
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11753843
Filed: 07/30/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electric parking brake module warning light was illuminated and the "Brake failure. Vehicle unsafe to drive," message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken back to the residence...."

Incident Date: 07/16/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11745804
Filed: 06/22/2026

"Repeated Failure and Rebooting of Mazda Connect Infotainment System I am the owner of a 2016 Mazda CX-5. The factory Mazda Connect infotainment system has developed a recurring defect in which the system repeatedly reboots to the Mazda logo while driving. Prior to complete failure, the navigation..."

Incident Date: 06/18/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11744529
Filed: 06/16/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Mazda CX-5. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the cruise control cancellation switch failed to operate as intended after several attempts or while depressing the brake pedal. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the..."

Incident Date: 03/26/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Mazda CX-5

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Mazda CX-5 133 11 4 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Mazda CX-5 Current Page 510 31 5 Current
2017 Mazda CX-5 148 5 1 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Mazda CX-5 117 1 3 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Mazda CX-5 266 7 2 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Mazda CX-5 106 9 0 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Mazda CX-5 143 9 0 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Mazda CX-5 62 5 0 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Mazda CX-5 60 8 0 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Mazda CX-5 41 4 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Mazda CX-5 27 4 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Mazda CX-5 13 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Mazda CX-5

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 82 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 152 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 47 3 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 39 3 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 35 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 34 1 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 32 2 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 18 1 1 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 13 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9 1 2 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 8 1 1 1 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 7 3 0 2 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 7 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 6 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS 5 0 5 1 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE 3 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 3 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,SEATS 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 2 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 2 2 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 0 0 0 0
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
PARKING BRAKE,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS 1 1 0 1 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 1 0 1 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 1 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (510). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Related Official Reports for 2016 Mazda CX-5

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.